Liam Payne Opens Up About Friendship With Shawn Mendes On ‘TRL’

By Brent Furdyk.
17 May 2018 8:45 PM

If anyone knows about what it’s like to become instantly famous, it’s a member of the world’s biggest on-hiatus boy band, and Liam Payne is happy to share any help he can with younger musicians such as pal Shawn Mendes as they grapple with the pressures of stardom.

In a recent interview with “TRL” (above), the One Direction member discussed his friendship with Mendes, revealing he’s something of a mentor to the 19-year-old Canadian pop phenom.

“With the way this lifestyle is, we don’t help each other and there’s just not much point to it,” Payne, 24, declared on the MTV interview show. “I went and saw Shawn Mendes recently when I was at an awards show. I think he’s doing fantastic, but I could hear the slightest bit of sorrow in a recent song he wrote, and I wanted to make sure he was all good.”

Added Payne: “He’s only 19 years old — not to belittle him in any way, shape, or form because I think he’s incredible. He’s got his head screwed on and he’s gone about it the right way. Now [that] he’s known all over the world, it’s a bit of a transformation.”

As Payne explained, he just wanted Mendes to know that he’s there for him if he ever needs someone to talk to about the overwhelming demands of international fame. “I just wanted to offer, ‘If you ever have a problem or something’s going on, call me and we can have a chat about it,’” he said.

In another part of the interview, Payne offers a hilarious impression of his infant son Bear’s “baby twerking” while listening to music. Watch: